Posts tagged with ‘debt’

Former Secretary of State for Education David Blunkett wrote a piece for the Guardian last week, arguing that instead of cutting university tuition fees, the government should reduce the interest rate that applies to the loans that cover repayment of the fees. I am not going to argue one way or another when it comes […]

I should start by saying I disagree with the whole idea of university tuition fees, and believe university education should be free as it used to be. The trouble is, that only worked when a smaller number of people attended university. Many people now go to university when it does little for their careers, and […]

Last week the government seemingly did a u-turn over the scrapping of the 10 pence rate of income tax, although it is far from clear what form the compensation will take for people on lower incomes who will lose out under the new tax regime. It’s difficult to see how the government could have thought […]

It has emerged that customers in Northern Ireland who bank with the Nationwide building society, and who used cash machines belonging to Northern Bank, did not have the sums of money they withdrew debited from their accounts. The fault has existed since November, and 7,500 customers have been affected, withdrawing a total of £375,000 between […]

My article on bank charges a few months ago prompted a few angry responses from people who claimed the current system of bank penalty charges is unfair. Under the current system, people who go overdrawn – borrowing their bank’s money without permission – are charged fees. Some commentators have suggested that if these fees are […]

For the first time, a bank has had its charges upheld in court. Since the Office of Fair Trading warned credit card providers last year that their penalty charges were excessive, causing all providers to cut fees to £12, people have been encouraged by numerous consumer groups to demand the refund of charges from bank […]

The latest figure for the average cost of a wedding stands at a staggering £17,000. Now, it isn’t often I can say I agree with what the Church of England has to say on an issue, but the Church has produced a booklet suggesting that people should spend less on their big day, and on […]